Unfinished Business
by ninjasquirrelss
Summary: Some things really are stronger than death... Caution: contains massive spoilers for DH! If you haven't read it yet, than what are you doing here?


Disclaimer: I don't own anything, including these wonderful characters. God bless the mastermind who created them. That's right, JK Rowling is a genius.

(The first sentence is an excerpt from the 7th book)

Attention: If you have not read the 7th book, go read it right now and then come back. This story contains MASSIVE SPOILERS! I am having a blast writing this one. Hope you enjoy it! Please review. Check out my page to see why!

Much love,

adreamisawishyourheartmakes

"You actually are joking, Perce….I don't think I've heard you joke since you were-"

One second Fred was laughing at Percy and the next he was surrounded by a white light. When the light faded, he was standing behind the counter at the joke shop. He was alone. He ran a finger along the dust coated counter and saw the stacks of blueprints for future merchandise he and George had been working on. Fred was afraid. It was much too quiet. Funny, the man who publicly ridiculed Voldemort was afraid of silence. He chuckled in amusement. He stood at the counter for a while waiting for something to happen, but boredom overtook him and he began to poke around the shop. He found a surprise on the shelf that was stocked with Extendable Ears. It was a very non-extendable ear, and it looked just like the ones attached to his head. He was going to be spending eternity with his twin brother's dead ear. _George would love to hear this_ Fred thought to himself. It was all starting to get to him; the quiet, holding George's ear, his loneliness. Fred didn't ever remember being alone. He couldn't even think of a time where George, his twin brother and best friend, hadn't been standing at his side. A huge thud interrupted the silence and, as if someone had been listening to his thoughts, he found he was no longer alone. George grimaced as he rubbed his backside in obvious discomfort, and then looked around confusedly for a moment. He jumped up to hug his twin brother the second he saw him.

"George, did you die too?"

"I don't think so. I mean, the war is over. Harry killed Voldemort, we won! The last thing I remember is falling asleep in the Great Hall."

"Oh…you're dreaming then.

A few moments of silence passed as they tried to think of what to say.

I'm sorry George. I didn't want it to end this way. We were supposed to go out together, elderly victims of our greatest prank."

"I don't know what I am going to do without you Fred. Mum is beside herself. Percy blames himself. Ginny hasn't stopped crying. Ron won't stop snogging Hermione. And for the life of me, I can't think of a single funny thing to say. It's a mess out there."

"Knock, Knock."

"Fred, I hardly think this is the time for a knock, knock joke."

"When is it ever not time for a knock, knock joke?"

"Alright, who's there?"

"Holey"

"Holey who?"

"Holey crap George, I found your ear!"

"That's not funny! You know I'm still sensitive about that!"

"No, I really found your ear, with the Extendable Ears of all places. Here, take it."

Fred carefully placed the ear in its correct position and with a shower of sparks, it healed itself.

"Whoa, that was just like magic!"

"Now that was a little funny. Tell that to Mum and she'd probably smack you into next week."

"Fred, do you think I'm here for a reason? You know, like I'm supposed to tell you to walk into the light or something?"

"The thought had occurred to me. Why?"

"Well, because I don't think that I could. That would mean that I had done my job and that I would have to go on without you and you without me. I don't think you are supposed to separate a matched set. You see, you and I are like a handsome pair of shoes. You wouldn't throw out one shoe and continue wearing the other." It's not right."

"It will be okay George. You'll see. You have the joke shop and our family to take care of.

"Will you promise me one thing?

"Anything for you my handsome little loafer."

"Together, we could take Heaven by storm. Will you wait for me?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

As if on cue, George's body started to fade away. Their time together had ended. George looked down and sighed.

"Until then my friend."

"See you later George."

Then George was gone and he was alone again. He wandered around the shop aimlessly. He messed with the merchandise and read the joke shop catalogue three times, but he was still lonely and bored. Fred climbed the stairs that led to his and George's loft apartment. When he turned the corner, he found two doors instead of the usual one that led into the apartment, and instantly the idea of sleeping until George died was forgotten. The door on the left was marked "Beyond". It reminded him of some funny American movie he had watched with George when they had the flu a couple of years before. George had cried at the end. He blamed it on the cold medicine then made Fred swear that he would never tell anyone. He smirked as he turned to the door on the right. It was marked "Unfinished Business". He thought about that for a minute. His business was definitely unfinished, as his other half hadn't died yet. Whatever was waiting behind that door had to be more interesting than sitting in an empty joke shop for fifty years. Then again, he had told George that he would wait for him. It seemed a little selfish to get bored after ten minutes of making that promise. He decided that George would understand. With one last look back at the shop below him, he opened the door on the right and stepped in. What he saw almost made him laugh.

He was in the joke shop still, although the difference in the two rooms was remarkable. In the first shop, the lights were off. Wanted posters covered the storefront windows, blocking any sunlight that might have come in. The result was a dead, blue appearance of everything inside the store. The counters and shelves were coated with a layer of dirt and dust. The air was stale and the silence was deafening. It was barely recognizable. The new shop was exactly the opposite, the way he remembered it. Someone had taken down all of the posters and cleaned the windows so that natural light streamed in. The shelves and counter were spotless. The merchandise seemed to have gained life. Things were flying around above his head, squeaking, bouncing, singing, sparkling, and anything else they could do to attract attention to themselves. Music was playing over the speakers. The store was filled with a warm, orangey glow. The most beautiful thing he saw though, were the customers. They were packed so tightly in the shop that they could barely navigate the store without bumping into someone. The sound of laughter and excitement pulled him in. He walked down the staircase and into the main part of the store. He could see crowds of people in the street. He strolled through the shop and out the front door, not noticing the lingering stares from those he passed. Once he was outside, he could see that the people were throwing a party. There was music and dancing, cheering, and plenty of butterbeer and firewhiskey to go around. He looked down the street to his right and something caught his eye. It was a small table set up directly in front of the joke shop window. In the center, was a picture of himself and George at Bill's wedding, smiling and waving. It was surrounded by random assortments of flowers, candles, gag toys, and joke shop merchandise. He realized that it was a memorial of his death. He turned away from the table to check out the party and found himself face to face with none other than the reason for his ghostly existence, George.

"Fred? What are you doing here?"

"I got bored George, I have to do something while I wait for you to kick the bucket."

"Very nice Fred, if mum heard you say that-

"If mum heard who, say what George dear?" said Mrs. Weasley as she laid fresh flowers on Fred's memorial. She was busying herself with the arrangement and had not noticed the presence of her dead son.

"Mum?"

"Yes, George dear, I'm listening. I'm just trying to clea-

"You never could tell the two of us apart."

Mrs. Weasley turned in confusion. She dropped the wilting flowers in her hand as she laid eyes on her dead son. She cried out his name and reached out to hug him, but her arms passed right through his waist.

"That tickles mum."

"Oh Fred, I thought I'd never see you again."

"Well that would just be no fun wouldn't it?"

George pulled them back into the storeroom of the joke shop and they talked for what seemed like only seconds. When George left to start locking up the shop, Mrs. Weasley exclaimed in shock that she had not made dinner. She decided she had to return to the burrow. Fred decided to try to follow her home. He watched as she stepped into the fireplace in the flat above the store and threw down her fistful of Floo Powder. She disappeared just after shouting "The Burrow" with great determination, hopeful that she would soon have a surprise for the rest of the Weasley family. George followed directly behind her and then Fred was alone again. He didn't know what to do. He had no idea how to go home. He had just assumed that when George left, he would have too.

"Just close your eyes and imagine that you are at The Burrow."

Fred whirled towards the sound of the voice to find none other than Remus Lupin staring at him.

"Professor-"

"There will be plenty of time for talking later Fred. You need to go see your family. They are waiting for you. Close your eyes and picture them in your head. Imagine that yo-"

Fred heard the commotion before he opened his eyes. When he did open them, the sight that he found almost made him cry.


End file.
